JaxHer body curled around mine automatically, like it remembered my touch in that cave and craved more. Ever since that night, she was never far from my mind.How could a woman have so much control over me when I had none over her? The crone had told me that as a null, Anna would never feel the mating bond the way that I did. It would never affect her. When I finally let her go, she could walk away and never think of me again.She might not even think of me now except that I was forcing her to live in my house.Forcing her to sleep in my bed.Except maybe I was the only one who was tortured.I could smell her arousal. Every whimper when I touched her went straight to my cock. God, I ached for her, but I couldn’t have her. Couldn’t take her.Slipping my hand down her panties, I curled my hands over her ass cheeks and pulled her hard against my cock. She whimpered and squirmed against me.“You want to come, baby?” With one hand anchored around her, I flipped on my back and took her wit
And sometimes, I met with people in the locker rooms of the gym.Jenson ran a towel over his face as he entered the room. “Finn kick your ass?”“I took on three others before him. Just to give him an edge,” Jenson said with a smirk. “He’s good. Real good. One day, I might worry about that.”“I’ve made some decisions without talking with you about it. This is your chance to give me your opinion.”“My opinion? Wow. This is a big moment for me. Where do I start? That girl, Callie, that you took out about seven years ago? I told you that she was probably a walking case of STDs? I want to tell you I told you so. And my God, when you promoted Derrick, and I tried to stop you?And that time you thought you could make your own wine?”I cleared my throat. “That is not what I meant, and you know it.”Jenson tossed the towel on the bench, crossed his arms, and leaned against the lockers. “Oh, you mean when I asked to guard Irene, and you said no. When you moved the most hated woman in the pack i
AnnaIt had only been a month, but The Fanged Smile was a disaster. Chairs had been smashed to bits. The inside and outside walls had graffiti. The liquor wall was completely empty. It broke my heart to see her like this. She’d been my prison. My chance at an identity. My torment.Now she was just mine, and she was a mess.“One of the guards told me that there was some rebellion while Jax was gone. One or two employees didn’t like it when Jax killed the manager,” Finn said as he walked up behind me.“What did he do anyway?”“Tried to rape me,” I said flatly as I turned around. The frustration in me eased a little. It was good to see him. “I’m not well-liked here.”He gave me a tight smile. “I gathered that, too. Turns out the happy couple you played in Wisteria Woods was a lie.”“Did you volunteer to guard me, or is this a shit assignment for the new guy?” If Finn hated me now, I wanted to know.“You and I are more alike than you think, Anna. I volunteered. I hope you don’t mind.”He
“And now you need it to be a sanctuary again, away from Jax?”He was fishing. He already knew that Jax and I weren’t happily mated, but we were supposed to be changing that perception. For the pack, at least. That means him as well. I gave him a tight smile. “It’s just a good place for me to be while we figure everything out.”The back door opened, and I whipped my head around and went rigid. Finn didn’t move a muscle, but I could feel the wolf inside him ready himself.This was who TK wanted running messages for him? How could he not sense the power in him? Finn could be an alpha one day.“So how did those challenges go?” I asked dryly.Finn just chuckled softly.Two females walked in, and Finn relaxed a fraction. I didn’t. I only recognized one, and I still wasn’t sure how she felt about me.“Bridget,” I greeted calmly. “And Bridget’s friend.”Bridget looked to be in her thirties, where her friend was younger. Early twenties, maybe.Pretty with blonde hair and big blue eyes. She was
Anna“Leave or die?” The figure snickered. “I heard the new guard member was a tight ass, but really, kid. You gotta relax. We’re not here to hurt the alpha’s mate. We just want to get to know her, that’s all.”He was followed by two more people. Bridget cleared her throat, and he seemed to notice her for the first time and froze. “Bridget. Amaya,” he said nervously. “What are you doing here?”“Helping out. Now, so are you. Thanks for volunteering,” she said with a smile. “You and your friends can start by hauling all this furniture out.”The new guy reddened, and one of his friends bolted. Amaya flashed a feral grin and bounded after him. Less than a minute later, she was dragging him back inside by the ear. It was a strange visual considering the man was at least a decade older than her.“Get off me,” he snarled. “I’m not here to clean up the whore’s bar. This was Parker’s bar. She doesn’t have the right to touch it.”“She’s been touching it for three years,” Amaya reminded him. “Ma
A guard stood by Irene’s door, one that I recognized. “Cassius,” I said hesitantly. Another guard who didn’t like me all that much.“Alpha mate,” he said stiffly. When he caught sight of Finn, he raised an eyebrow. “Have you already done something to be punished?”“I volunteered,” Finn laughed. “I like Anna.”Cassius just grunted.“I wanted to see how Irene was doing. Do I need Jax’s permission?” I asked.To my surprise, the guard moved to the aside. “You are the alpha’s mate. You do not need permission.”Well, wasn’t that nice? Something I could do on my own. “Thank you. Finn, do you mind staying out here for a minute? I promise to let you meet her afterward.”Finn just shook his head. “Not until I make sure the house is safe for you. Sorry, Cassius. I hope you don’t mind.”“I would have been pissed if you didn’t. I’ll be accompanying you, of course.”Wonderful. Two sets of ears to overhear what I had hoped would be a very private conversation. Opening the door, Cassius announced us.
JaxThe meeting concluded much as it started. Same as yesterday and the day before. Last week and the week before. Every day since I installed Anna into my home.The elders were unhappy.Normally, I met with the elders once a month, but every day for weeks, they found a way to call an emergency meeting.There were two still in my office when the phone rang. The line that only a few others had.The other alphas.Celine and Calden stilled. After a second of consideration, I nodded to them and answered the call on speaker. “Jax.”“Maeve.”Ah, Maeve Frost. Alpha of Indigo Peak. “Maeve, you’re on speaker with two of my elders.Are you calling to share your displeasure again?”Maeve was the alpha who threatened Finn’s death as a child unless his father came clean about who he was feeding information to. His father refused.Maeve, apparently, couldn’t go through with the threat. She exiled him instead. I gave her a courtesy call when I returned to let her know that Finn was mine now. She was
“Jax,” a voice squealed just as I approached the house. Briella, a young and pretty redhead, was waiting for me on the front porch. She’d spent her early years as a rogue until she and her family had been chased into my territory. They claimed sanctuary, and I allowed them stay. Now, then years later, she was a lovely girl of twenty and looked at me with stars in her eyes.“Briella,” I greeted as I opened the door. “How can I help you?”With a giggle, she fell into step next to me. “I just haven’t seen you in a while, and I wanted to let you know that I’d missed you. Have you had dinner yet?”“I’m about to right now.” The house was quiet, but that was nothing new. Unlike the other alphas, I didn’t keep a staff.Someone came in to clean once a week, but I ate with the others at the mess halls and restaurants. Not lately. I’d been grabbing take-out dinners with my mate.A trying time for us both.“Is that from the food hall? Oh, let me cook for you! Please, alpha! My wolf has been feeli
Anna“Release me,” I said in a cold tone as I stared at the witch. “Now.”It was a gamble. I had no idea what the spell was supposed to do. If I’d more time to study the magic wrapping around, I could hazard a guess. I doubted it was meant to do anything too drastic, or Maeve and her witch would be immediately accused.No, it had to be curiosity.Jax snarled, and the magic was gone. Maeve frowned at the witch, but Cam’s face was still calm as she bowed her head. “My apologies,” she murmured. “I feared my magic would be erratic here. Sometimes it acts without me.”Maeve turned to Jax. “I apologize. She did mention her magic was seeping out, but I didn’t think it would attack anyone.”“Not attack,” Cam said quickly. “My magic was just drawn to her.”“Apologize to her,” Jax said, his eyes still glowing gold. “Not me, and do not allow it to happen again.”Turning, Cam bowed again. “I apologize. I did not mean to alarm you. I am anxious.”I could definitely understand her anxiety, but the
AnnaI could barely focus on what Jax was saying as we walked home. An alpha was already here.Emerson, no doubt. Trying to throw Jax off guard. Trying to throw me off guard.I wasn’t going to let him. I was not the same scared little girl that he used to torment, and I was not now nor ever going to be his.“Why did you walk?” I asked suddenly. Too late, I realized that Jax was saying something to me, and I’d interrupted. “Sorry.”The muscle in his jaw ticked while he stared straight ahead. “I walked because I do not need to scramble to rearrange my day simply because someone decided to show up early. We’re still prepping, and that comes first.”“Right. It’s all about appearances,” I echoed hollowly. I was still a little surprised that he wasn’t going to lock me away if appearances mattered so much. “I interrupted you earlier. What were you saying?”“I was asking about Kenzi’s visit. Did it upset you?”“You mean when your little blonde bombshell walked in boasting about how you’ve bee
“A female?”“Kenzi,” Finn said quietly. “She came to drop off an application.”Kenzi? Waiting tables? That was laughable. “I would not leave my mate without protection. Anna, a word? Finn, don’t let him leave.”Even with her back turned to me, I knew Anna was rolling her eyes, but she rose and followed me into the restaurant. “You claimed me, so you’re not going to go all crazy on me just because I was talking to him, are you? I’m not alone, and I’m not even inside.”No. She’d done exactly what she needed to do to make sure I didn’t lose it. I was not proud that she even had to consider that.“Do you feel safe and comfortable around him?”Her face registered surprise at my question. “He’s not threatening me or propositioning me. If you’re asking if I’m ready to pack my bags and leave with him, the answer is no.”“But if he wants to approach you again and speak with you? Do you want me to allow that?”“Allow?” She repeated and sighed. “Normally, I’d tell you that you shouldn’t let anyo
Staring at me, Dean smiled softly. “My dad was right about you. You don’t like to delve too deep, do you?”Annoyed, I narrowed my eyes. “What?”“It’s not the bar that Parker wanted me to have, Anna. It was you.”Finn growled, and my wolf was right there with him. Immediately, Dean held up his hands. “No, no. Shit, no, not like that. I’m sorry. I should have been clearer. Not take you as a mate but take you away from here if you needed it. Protect you. That’s what I’m offering you.I’m a strong wolf. If you want to leave, we can change your name, leave this place, and I’ll protect you. That is what my father wanted.”Stunned, I gripped my beer bottle. Parker had asked Dean of this? If Dean had come just a few months ago, right after his father had died, I would have even considered it.Considered, but not gone through with it. Dean might have been Parker’s son, but I didn’t know him. I would have never put my safety in the hands of a strange man.“You’re shocked. Did you not think my f
AnnaDean Hewitt had his father’s eyes.Not just that comforting deep brown, but also the kindness that was there. Even Finn relaxed a little more once Kenzi had been ushered away. Dean had watched her go with an arched eyebrow, but he didn’t say anything until she was gone.We appraised each other carefully. He was still in the middle of the dining room, and I was hovering in the doorway to the kitchen.There were some other similarities. Same jaw line and widow’s peak. Dean was definitely his father’s son, but he still had a youthful look about him. He didn’t have that hardness in his father that Parker did.“You’re not responsible for my father’s death,” he said quietly. “I came here to say goodbye and to talk to the people who were closest to him. It didn’t take long for your name to come out and the rumors to start swirling around. I thought I needed to come and tell you in person in case you have any doubts. My father was a troubled man. Based on the last few phone calls we had,
Apparently I did now.“It’s nice to meet you, Kenzi. I’m Anna, although I’ve found that I need no introduction,” I said with an easy smile as I reached out my hand to accept the application. It was a power gesture. We both knew she was never going to work for me. “If you have time, we can talk about the position since you’re here. Just don’t tell everyone. I don’t really have time to do a bunch of interviews while the other packs are coming to visit.”The smile remained frozen on her face as she sat down. “I imagined Jax would have you working to get your restaurant back up while they’re here.”“Part of me would love that. I’m not much for politics, but I’m learning.” I glanced over her application. “Kenzi, this only has your name on it. I’m going to need a fully filled-out application before I can consider you. What position were you interested in?”“Don’t play dumb. We both know why I’m here.”Leaning back in the chair, I tossed her application aside while she leaned over the desk.
AnnaWith the other alphas arriving tomorrow, The Fanged Smile was the last thing I needed to focus on, but it was the only thing I could think about without panic rising.Not to mention, it provided me with an interesting mystery first thing in the morning. I’d set up an application online through The Fanged Smile website that I’d created years ago. It wasn’t anything fancy, mostly because I didn’t have all that much experience with computers, but it had been easy to learn.I figured no one would apply. To my surprise, there were over a hundred applicants.“If you keep frowning like that, you’re going to get frown lines,” Finn said casually from the doorway. He threw me an easy smile, but it didn’t quite meet his eyes. He’d been on edge all day. Probably because of the other packs arriving, but it was making me on edge. I was getting used to Finn’s calming presence.He was not giving off calming vibes at the moment.“Half of these applicants are still in school,” I muttered with a si
She prowled around the edge of the room and glanced at me warily. “You’re hard to read,” she said finally as she stopped at the bed.“All you need to know, going forward, is that everything I do is to protect you.” Pulling the sheet back, I gestured for her to climb in. “I need you.”She hesitated. “And when you don’t need me anymore?”“Our original deal still stands. You can leave.” She acted like she had a choice. Our one ace up the sleeve was that whoever was attacking the witches didn’t know that she was a null.Form her vision, she had to know that was probably no longer true. She was safest with me.“You haven’t been the most trustworthy. I don’t know anything about you. I don’t even know how you became an alpha.” Slipping in the sheets, she turned her back to me.The silence grew between us. “Parker didn’t tell you?” I said finally.“I never asked. It didn’t seem important at the time.”Staring at the ceiling, I grimaced. “Parker was supposed to teach you about pack dynamics an
Jax“You haven’t said a word since we left Irene’s,” Anna said finally as we pulled up to the house. When I didn’t turn to look at her, she let out a frustrated sigh. “Look, I don’t know what you saw. Was it through your eyes? Did you feel yourself kill that woman? I can’t change what happened, but at least tell me what’s going through your head.”Climbing out of the vehicle, I closed the door and finally made eye contact as she did the same. “I already knew that you were a killer.”“Knowing what I did and feeling what I did are two different things.”Taking out my keys, I headed to unlock the door. When I stepped through and Anna didn’t immediately follow me, I turned around to glare at her. She wasn’t even looking at me though. She was staring at her hands, and I saw the mistake that I was making.At her most vulnerable, Anna lashed out. She built walls and isolated herself. Now, here she was trying to reach out, and I was shutting her down.But what the hell was I supposed to say?